Show and Tell, Feb 2021

Show and Tell

Ange: Overshot Runners

My first Overshot projects! Three runners from Janet Dawson’s Overshot class.

 

 

 

Gudrun:  The Gang is Back — Woven Dolls

“The Gang” was first described  in Weaver’s No 5, 1989. Members of the Gang have been seen at times, here are some from Mary Anderson’s collection
(https://wovenbyhand.wordpress.com/2020/07/17/mary-anderson-weavings/#jp-carousel-148) and (https://wovenbyhand.wordpress.com/2020/07/17/mary-anderson-weavings/#jp-carousel-143)

The weaving is a 4H doubleweave woven in the form of tubes. The shuttle goes either all the way across or is pulled out in the middle or sides to form legs and arms. The dolls quickly develop personality through their proportions, clothing, and embellishments. They do surprise you.

 

 

 

John:  Woven Towels

I’m taking an online weaving course by Joanne Hall, a well-known weaving teacher who works for Glimakra. It’s called Countermarch at Home, teaching people who are new to countermarch looms how to get the best results from their loom. I just started weaving a set of towels (for the exchange). The draft for the towel is the one that I created a few months ago by decoding a towel that Gudrun got from a friend many years ago. The class is great. My technique with my countermarch loom has improved quite a bit. Joanne is teaching a course in draw loom weaving in February.

 

 

 

Kaye and Sand: 

 

 

Marjorie:  Sprang Braided Pouch

This project is a 2-2 Sprang braided twill phone pouch.  I don’t know what the yarn is specifically for the body but that it’s wool. The other yarn is Tahki Tandem. The button is from Buttons! By Linda Sicard.

 

 

January 21 – Laverne Waddington

Past Programs

A program of images and video by Laverne Waddington on

AN INTRODUCTION TO WOVEN STRUCTURES USED IN SOUTH AMERICAN TEXTILES.

Simple looms do not necessarily mean simple textiles. Weavers in South America use rustic looms to create complex cloth employing a wide variety of techniques using complementary-warp structures and both supplementary warps and weft. Even plain-weave textiles are not in any way ‘’plain’’ when incorporating ikat or finished with intricate knotted fringes, colorful joining stitches and tubular edgings.

In this program Laverne will walk you through some of the various woven structures she has encountered while learning to weave in South America, share stories about her experiences learning them and show examples of how she has used these in her own work on the backstrap loom.

Laverne Waddington has been learning to weave on simple looms with indigenous teachers in South America since 1996. In her home in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, she draws on ethnic design influences from around the world to create pieces on a backstrap loom using the various techniques and structures she has studied in South and Central America as well as with backstrap weavers from Vietnam and Myanmar.

Since 2010, she has published eight instructional manuals on the various woven structures and finishing techniques that she has studied and produced a dvd on Operating a Backstrap Loom.

Her articles on backstrap weaving and indigenous textiles have appeared in Handwoven magazine. Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot and Spin Off as well as in the published proceedings of the 2012 and 2016 Braid Society conferences.

She has shared her skills and experiences with many visitors to Bolivia over the years and now reaches a global audience with her weaving tutorials and travel tales on her blog. She provides online advice and support to weavers through forums such as Ravelry and teaches and speaks at guilds and textile conferences around the world.

Show and Tell, Jan 2021

Show and Tell

Ange:  Twill Blanket & Overshot

55 x 62 finished, not including fringe. It’s Timm Ranch wool from Meridian Jacobs, 10 EPI in a straight twill. I got about 25% shrinkage when I wet finished so it was ginormous on the loom but it went from a gauzy fabric on the loom to a beautifully soft and cohesive fabric off the loom. It’s natural white warp and white weft so hard to see any pattern on the photos… I attached one of it on the couch for size and another closeup of the twill.
I had two problems that I’ll note here…. One was the yarn was pretty lively twist wise so it wanted to kink up on me; I didn’t watch for that closely enough on the bottom layer so ended up with some parts where the weft doubles back on itself a bit. I fixed a bunch of them before wet finishing but left a few to see how they would look and now wish I’d fixed them. The second issue was that I was so afraid of pulling too tight at the fold that I didn’t pull tight enough so some of the threads there are a little loose; most of that came out in the wet finishing but not enough. Stripes would probably have hidden it 🙂

 

8/2 unmercerized cotton warp sett at 16 EPI and ground weft in pale green grey and 5/2 mercerized cotton pattern weft. I’m making it as part of Janet Dawson’s online overshot class.

 

 

Cathy DiBenedetto:  Coiled Rope Baskets
I was inspired to learn about these coiled rope baskets when I saw one
that was shared on the website in May. Although that one was held
together be weaving, mine are sewn on the sewing machine. I have done
many while sheltering in place this past year.I use clothesline covered with strips of fabric. I fold over the top edge of the strip so it eliminates the raw edge. I think it makes a
nicer looking basket. It’s a great way to use leftover yardage or fat
quarters. I’ve also experimented with Macrame cording. It works well but
the basket is not as sturdy. My sewing machine appreciates the less
dense macrame cording though. Much easier to sew through!  The fun part
is creating different patterns with colors and prints. Also doing a
variety of finishing with flowers or tassels, beads and buttons.

 

 

Show and Tell, Dec 2020

Show and Tell

Sharolene:  Vest

Daryl Lancaster designed vest. I used my hand woven fabric that I made with Kathryn Weber’s hand painted warps. Yarn is 100% cotton from 8/2 hand painted and 5/2 black. Weave structure is turned taquete. I am in the last stages of putting it together now. I still have to put on the trim and the zipper and a good press and I’ll be done.

 

 

Teddie:  Placemats and Table Runner

Four place mats and a table runner in rep weave. The pattern is from
Handwoven Sept/Oct 2005.

Show and Tell, Nov 2020

Show and Tell

Johanna:

Double width log cabin blanket from Jennifer Moore’s book p. 77-78.  It is woven with Shetland wool purchased from Eugene Textiles and is incredibly soft.  I altered the design a bit but kept it the same width on the loom of 40 inches, and wove 87 inches in length.  There is a total of 800 threads and is sett at 20 epi. I used a floor mirror to the side of my loom to check the side to make sure it remained open as I wove and this helped some.  I am pleased with how it turned out and will now work on finishing the twisted fringe and do a wet finish to give it more fullness and softness.

 

 

Gail:

Crackle Scarf, 7.5” x 71” on the loom, fringe twists and wet finishing still to be done.
8/2 tencel, warp and ground weft. Pattern wefts: shantung silk yaspee (dark brown) and a silk/wool blend (orange and tan). Also some picks in a metallic yarn for a little sparkle.

 

Betsy B:

Blanket, cardigan, hat and booties that I knit for my first grandchild.

Rag rug woven with cotton strips.

 

 

November 19, 2020 – Laura Fry

Past Programs

The November Black Sheep Handweavers Guild program will feature Laura Fry as she discusses her evolution as a weaver. Laura is certified as one of Canada’s Master Weavers. She is the author of Magic in the Water and The Intentional Weaver: How to Weave Better.

Laura Fry. Orange painted warp fabric

Laura Fry has been weaving for 45 years, 44 of those as a production weaver. She shut down her business in December of 2019 and ‘retired’ from making and selling textiles as her primary focus.

She has taught, written about and researched about weaving for all of those years and continues to learn – both from her own mistakes and the journey of others who explore this fascinating craft.

A few years ago she became an adjunct teacher for the Olds College master weaving program, which eventually led her to set down as much as she could about what she knew about making textiles. This became The Intentional Weaver, her second self-published book.

For the past year she has concentrated on weaving down her yarn stash. And barely made a dent in it! But she persists.

Laura Fry. Close up of finished towel with gree, blue, and salmon as warp, black as weft in a birds eye twill.

Laura Fry. Monochromatic grey, black, taupe fabric with beautiful drape

Show and Tell, Oct 2020

Show and Tell

Gudrun:  Hucklace Scarf

20/2 Perle Cotton with some iridescence, Sett 30 EPI

 

Ann: Lace Collar

Crocheted collar using handspun lace weight Bombyx yarn. Singles were spun S and plied Z in an effort to keep the yarn crisp through the hooking action. The collar weighs a mere 7 grams and measures 12″ across.

 

 

 

Damon: Floor Rug in progress

Finished  Dimensions:  46” x 70”.
Warp: 12/9 Egyptian Cotton
Weft:  primarily wool of varied weights, some heavy sewing thread in a few places

Loom: vertical tapestry loom

 

Joan: 

I’ve been practicing a little on my spinning wheel. I spun and plyed some off-white wool with colored wool (roving purchased already dyed). I’ll use it to make something with the pretty green wool I got from John H.

The other pictures are of Deer Hollow Farm wool I recently received back from Valley Oak Wool & Fiber Mill. This year I tried a blend of Finn fleece (dark brown) and off-white from a Romney cross sheep. It was fun to twist up all of the skeins – 68 this year.

The pictures are: a sample of the three types of yarn; a few skeins of Finn sheep breed only – dark brown; several dark brown with a little white blended in; lots of skeins with a balanced blend of dark brown and white. Contact Joan if you are interested in purchasing any yarn.

 

 

Terry:  Recent completed projects include a knit shawl and woven Shadow Weave kitchen towels.

October 15, 2020 – Daryl Lancaster

Past Programs

October Black Sheep Handweavers Guild program will feature Daryl Lancaster, a handweaver and fiber artist known for her award winning handwoven fabric and garments. Daryl will lecture on how to combine warps and structure for a one of a kind fabric. This will be a Powerpoint presentation. While the focus of the presentation will be on 8 shaft looms, the theory can easily applied to 4 shafts, or more than 8 shafts, if you are inclined.

The lecture will start with some basics on weaving yardage, what to weave and how to sett it. The most important part though, is finding out what you’ve got, and how to make it work for you. Learn how to know what’s on the cone, or in the skein, and see how far it will go! The focus here is on 8 shafts. With 8 shafts you can magically combine structures and different yarns and create some inspiring and truly unique fabrics. Lots of drafts and lots of examples.

Daryl Lancaster, a hand-weaver and fiber artist known for her awardwinning hand-woven fabric and garments, has been constructing garments for more than 50 years. She gives lectures and workshops to guilds, conferences, and craft centers all over the United States. The former Features Editor for Handwoven Magazine, she has written more than 100 articles and digital content, frequently contributes to various weaving and sewing publications and writes regularly for Threads Magazine. Daryl maintains a blog at www.weaversew.com/wordblog Find her at www.Daryllancaster.com.

September 17, 2020 – Carol James on Sprang

Past Programs, Programs

The September Black Sheep Guild program will feature Carol James, expert in sprang and the would-have-been keynote speaker from CNCH 2020. She’ll talk about the fascinating structure that is sprang. There will be a live demonstration and examples of the tremendous variety of clothing and other items that can be made with the versatile technique. She’ll include examples from history and modern applications.

 

Carol James has been playing with strings for a long time; she learned to embroider and to crochet before she entered kindergarten. Since the 1980s she has been exploring a wide, flat, braiding technique known in North America as fingerweaving. In the mid 1990s she was introduced to sprang. She is now a world-recognized teacher. She has spent the past 20 years rediscovering textile forms that had been considered lost, resurrecting these ancient techniques and making them accessible to everyone through her publications, books and workshops. Carol believes that textile creation is part of our human heritage. Textile is an amalgamation of threads interconnecting with each other, just as humans work together in order to create the fabric of society. The method used to create fabric in disparate communities around the world is often quite similar. This is a common language of humans: the construction of fabric. Woven together we are stronger.

Carol James’s website may be found at
http://www.spranglady.com/

Carol writes about the image on the right: “I made myself a new sprang shirt, using a 5/2 mercerized cotton from Lunatic Fringe, leftovers from other projects. Inspired by the stitch pattern in a Ukrainian belt, I made vertical stripes in the body. I inserted a weft along the shoulder where front and back meet, it gives stability to the  shoulder, bearing the weight of the sleeve.” More information about this piece is on the blog at Carol’s website.